#sandrachile wedding

[sandrachile]

A Zero Waste Wedding in Pittsburgh

If you have been on Facebook lately, you have probably seen videos of turtles tangled in plastic, birds whose stomachs are full of plastic, and reports about Global Warming.

Whether your political inclinations deny or are against global warming, the truth is, our planet is polluted, and right now, you are either part of the solution or part of the problem, there is no middle ground.

But the problem is that when it comes to bringing environmentalist values to wedding planning, if you are not in California, or don’t have a 6 digit budget, it becomes a little hard, and you might end up giving up for the sake of the circumstances.

So I want to show you, where you should be focusing your energy and resources, but first, let me introduce you to the “Buyerarchy of needs” which will be inspiring our whole journey, and I hope you look at this, read it, meditate on it, and then apply it.

1: Focus on the things that don’t cost you anything, pick a vibe, a feeling as the guidance for your wedding day. 

If you look around for wedding day inspiration, everything is based on color palettes, flowers, or decor. However, since we are trying to be intentional and not use as many material things during the wedding day, it is better to base your inspiration on intangible things rather than material things, instead choose to get inspired by feelings, or the vibe you want your wedding to have. For example, the vibe for the image below was: contemporary, artsy, and fresh.

2: Focus on finding the core vendors for your wedding

(Yes, before setting up a date or even the location). Once you pick the vibe, you will need to gather the elements that will bring your vision together. But Unless you are working with the proper people, translating a concept to reality within a budget, can be hard. So, before even selecting the date for your event or the location, we highly encourage you to select the group of humans that will bring this to life. The core vendors are: Wedding Planner Venue Caterer Officiant Photographer Since the “ethical” journey begins before the wedding day itself, when reaching out to vendors, ask them upfront about what environmental practices they have in place. 

Asking this up front will set the tone for the rest of the planning process, and if this is something that is not present in their practices, your question will surely push them in the right direction.

3: Where and When?:

Choose the date and the venue.

Whether you decide to marry at home, or in a big space, there are some things that you need to take into consideration, such as accessibility for your guest, location of your party hub, weather, and of course, environmental practices. 

If you go for the most popular choice, a venue, ask them and yourself the following questions:

Does your venue send all the garbage to a landfill, or does it have any recycling practices in place? Do they offer furniture, or do you have to rent these items separately? Does the venue have decorative elements, or is it a plain room that needs a lot of stuff to look good? Does it offer in house booze/catering, or can you bring your own?

So many questions, right?

From the low waste perspective, it is a priority to choose a space that offers dishes, cups, and straws that are not plastic. 

(I doubt you want a turtle in the Caribbean to swim among the straws from your wedding day, right? … #justsayin)

4: Let’s tell the world: The stationery (Oh poop! When things get real)

Although an online invitation is often times more eco-friendly, in practice, not everybody is a fan of receiving an email, and being inclusive of older generations who are less e-literate, is a good way to honor them. So when it comes to papers, what alternatives are low waste?

The invitation is the first thing your guests see, it sets the mood for the day, it tells your guests whether joining is going to be worth it, and it announces what kind of party this is going to be. Once the invitations are sent, things get real, and telling your guest that this is an environmentally friendly kinda day deserves to be announced in an environmentally conscious way. Here is where the value of a designer that can custom work for you is a thousand times better than printing some DIY, but make sure the designer is open to working with eco-friendly papers. 

Have you heard about paper made out of elephant poop?

When it comes to being low waste, there is nothing better than options that ethically made, creative, and contribute to giving opportunities to economically and socially marginalized groups. So do your research in regards to papers, and if you are feeling like DIYing, you can DIY the envelopes from the newspapers at your grandma’s house.

PS: Oh! And forget about RSVPs! Nowadays everybody texts, so you can use an automated text message RSVP service which is the easiest way to gather replies from your guests, and automatically organizes and counts for you. SCORE!

(If you never saw paper made of poop, now you did | Stationary by the kick ass: Fresh Cut Prints )

5. Creating a wedding atmosphere: Decorations

One of the things about low waste, is that sometimes it might be a little on the plain side, so for a wedding, which we want to look special, we really have to put thought into what we bring in. 

Using what we have, or what you can realistically keep afterward is key. So, first, my biggest and probably most overlooked decoration element that is also functional is: LIGHTS!!! I’m not talking about regular light bulbs, but lighting can make an amazing decoration, which afterward leaves zero trace.

Another suggestion is to use real plants as a decorative item. Not only they will give you a decoration the day of your wedding, but will decorate your house for the years to come, and imagine having the same plants that witnessed you saying “I do”, witnessing your anniversary year after year!

"Did you know that glass can be recycled forever and ever?"  -- FUN FACT

Another element that is overlooked but it is quite easy to make, and to compost afterward is dry flowers. You can actually invest time in planting your own and meticulously dry. Finally, for any other need, hit your local thrift store! You would be surprised to see the amounts of linen available there.

Oh! And also… keep an eye on the dumpster! Someone else’s garbage always has the potential to be your treasure.

5. Time to get pretty

An element of your wedding that takes a lot of mental energy, a big chunk of your money, and it makes a massive statement in regards to the environment is fashion. And if you want to make a statement, the options for your outfit are: Ethically sourced. Wear your own. Make your own outfit. Or Vintage. This groom decided to wear his own clothes, and the bride opted for the vintage.

The statement piece for the bride was her earrings, which were upcycled. Altogether their outfits were around $30, which allowed more $$ to be allocated for other services.

As you can see, going this route is a great way to maximize your budget, but if you feel uncomfortable with the idea of wearing a vintage style of clothing, you can always purchase vintage garments and budget for the services of a seamstress that can transform your vintage piece and gives it a modern twist.

6. Beauty

I have to be the first in recognizing that zero/low waste and the beauty industry are not the best of friends. Beauty is perhaps one of the most forgotten subjects when it comes to thinking low waste wedding, maybe, because it is not you using that bottle of shampoo that will end up in a landfill, you don’t think much about it. Nowadays there are many makeup products companies using cruelty-free and vegan options (yay). But I learned from Becky, owner of the hair salon that does my hair, Tula Organics, that certain brands go to the extent of manufacturing products with 100% wind power, and they purchase carbon offset credits to balance any climate impact of their aerosol hairsprays.

She also told me about Dragon Master Foundation, a charity organization fighting to find a cure for cancer, and to whom you can send personal care and beauty containers to be recycled. This is an amazing initiative, to make the world greener and fight cancer at the same time.!

In summary:

A low impact, environmentally wedding is not unrealistic. Even if you don’t live in California, it is totally possible right here in Pittsburgh, and even with a small budget. All you might need, is to think through and plan with time, along with a good group of ethically minded wedding vendors.

Supporting Cast: Planner & Aesthetic designer: Devoted To You Events @devotedtoyouevents Florals: greenSinner @greensinner HMUA: Tula Organic @tulaorganic Venue: Kingfly Spirits @kingflyspirits Lightning: EF Lighting @eflighting Plants + Greenery: City Grows @citygrows Photographer: Sandrachile @sandrachilep Invitation Fresh Cut Prints @freshcutprints Paper Mr Ellie Pooh @mr.elliepooh Cake: Mediterra Cake House @mediterracakehouse Jewelry/Accessories Adaptive Reuse @christineterrell Calligrapher- Scarlet Day Calligraphy @scarletdaycalligraphy

[badassbride]

❤️❤️❤️👉🏻 Repost from @sandrachilep - Excited for saturday's pop up weddings at @barmarcopgh (where this picture was taken) and for some upcoming gigs next week. According to the chinese horoscope, this is the year of the dog, and people born in 1982 like me are dogs, so according to the chinese tradition this is my year, and I want to believe that it is 🙌🏼 . [Suit by @thegroomsmansuit • Dress by @katabankobrides • Hair and makeup by @coltonsdelong • Flowers by @leafhopperdesigns ] . . . —————————————————— 📸 #sandrachile #pittsburgh #WeddingPhotographer #PittsburghPhotographer #funphotographer #elopementphotographer #weddingpittsburgh #destinationphotographer #radcouples#hipsterbride #bride #worldchanger #fotografachilena #filltheheart #gotengaged #isaidyes #Livecolorful #loveandwild #radcouples #wildsouls #rockmywedding #alternativetogs #inclusion

[weddingstylish-posts-blog]

Geeks giving back: a beautiful and ethical wedding in Pittsburgh

Photos by Sandrachile

Sharon and Quinn are into all things geek. They met playing online video games, and through the years, their relationship has only strengthened within role playing games, consoles, and comic books. This informed their wedding, but it wasn't everything.

They were also very focused on making ethical decisions like ethical rings, sustainable vendors, vegan food, and a vegan…

[sandrachile]

Ethical, Christian, and unpredictable Destination Wedding | St Louis MO

Pua + Corey

I started 2018 writing down a business bucket list.

There were a few things I wanted to accomplish, and every year I feel like materializing these wishes on a paper. It somehow helps me remain focused.

The bucket list included weird (for you) things:

A Christian wedding.

A destination wedding (hopefully at the beach).

A shoot or wedding in Miami.

And a shoot with someone whose first language was not English.

I was blown away when, the following week, someone contacted me for an engagement session in Miami and I shot their engagement in my most favorite urban place in the world: Wynwood. And as an amazing bonus, I also shot a photography session at the Miami ice Cream Museum, which was in their last week (ever!).

While in Miami I received an email from Pua and Corey.

Pua is the youth pastor at a church in the suburbs of St Louis Missouri, while Corey worked at the Dream Center, a Christian ministry in the heart of Saint Louis Missouri, bringing hope to one of the poorest neighborhoods in the country. Their intimate destination elopement in Florida sounded amazing! and was answering to 2 of my bucket list goals at once. WOAH! Lucky me!. And as I began to learn about Pua and Corey, I fell in love with them more and more.

Their passion for social justice and their ethical heart… The secluded private residence where the wedding was going to be, with a ceremony right in the sand!? Oh em gee! This was going to be the wedding of my dreams!

But Michael had another plan….

Hello I’m Michael, and I’m here to wipe everything down…

A month before the wedding, the panhandle area of Florida, where (for a year!) Pua and Corey had made arrangements to get married, got a non pleasant visitor: Hurricane Michael, leaving all their planning in ruins on the beach.

[insert all the crying face emojis here]

Now, they were faced with a new decision:

To move the wedding to their hometown? (and therefore to plan a whole new wedding in a month!)

or

To move the wedding date? (which involved postponing all their upcoming plans, including the honeymoon)

[I swear, I witnessed this part of their journey with panic attacks….]

But there is a bible quote that says

"“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”"  -- Philippians 4:6-7

This piece of the Bible has nothing to do with God himself, but more with our attitude and how we behave in relation to God. It calls us to be positive and optimistic, to have an attitude of thanksgiving despite the circumstances.

And it reminds us to be faithful, that nothing is too big or small to ask God for. And to acknowledge that God cares for us, and will help us feel at ease.

Pua was freaking out, and rightfully so! To put together another wedding in 30 days was nuts! And not to mention, expensive! But her and Corey faced this challenge by practicing their religion, and did what their beliefs commanded: they prayed.

There were safety concerns in regards to getting married at the original location, so Pua and Corey decided to move the wedding to St Louis instead, and here is where their people said “we got ya” and their community stepped in to help. Meanwhile, I re-routed our airline tickets to the Bible Belt, and recruited my good friend Jenni to help me in a wedding with a whole different scenario.

Wedding in St Louis:

The ceremony ended up being at Pua & Corey’s church, run by none other than the teens Pua is a pastor for. The ceremony was performed by a (really funny) relative. The dinner was held in the church basement. And then everybody moved to a barn that someone from the church let them borrow so they could all go dance, and long story short, everybody offered what they could to make the wedding happen.

The night that changed my life….

At the end of the night, Pua and Corey themselves helped us pack leftovers for homeless (first time a couple engages personally with this process), and let me tell ya, that night changed my life…

After every wedding, Nick and I averagely distribute around 20 to 24 meals in downtown Pittsburgh, but St Louis was different, and the reality I witnessed there shocked me.

On our first stop, I shared over 60 plates of food. Corey and Pua were nice enough to not only donate the wedding day leftovers, but they also went above and beyond to save the extra food from the rehearsal dinner.

The homeless situation in Pittsburgh, is way different than St Louis. Here I usually get asked for a cigarette, but in St Louis I got asked for basic things, such as water and blankets.

I saw so many homeless people there, it was heartbreaking. People of color, Asians, and white people. Women, teenagers, elderly, and disabled people.

I’m not gonna lie, I felt disappointed in St Louis….

In Pittsburgh, homeless people are a direct result of the opioid crisis, but in St Louis, it seemed different (out of the 80 people we fed and saw that night, I did not see one who was intoxicated or visibly high). My short stop through St Louis changed my perception drastically. There is so much need around us, and we are so so privileged, but I feel lucky that out of all the weddings that take place in the world, I get to serve people like Corey and Pua, who took time out of their own wedding to share what they had and how they could.

How did this wedding produced social impact?

The wedding of Pua and Corey was crazy, it was beautiful, ethical, full of intention, spiritual, and impactful.

Pua gifted her bridal party leggings from Girlfriend Collective, a size inclusive brand that, through ethical manufacturing, uses post-consumer water bottles extracted from the ocean to produce their leggings.

Corey and his wedding party opted for to use something they already owned (and will continue to wear).

The couple skipped on the favors, instead, they donated that money to the relief efforts of the Hurricane Michaels.

They intentionally payed to rent real plates/glasses at the reception to avoid generating plastic cups/paper waste.

Avoided straws.

The leftovers from the wedding day fed 45 people, while the leftovers from the rehearsal fed 40 to 50 more, giving us a grand total of almost ONE HUNDRED PEOPLE, whom 4 days before Thanksgiving were in the streets, hungry, cold, and trying to sleep under the rain, but we reminded them that THEY MATTER TOO. Overall, this wedding changed my life and pierced my heart like no other before, and it was the perfect reminder that no matter how much we want to stay to ourselves, we are meant to live in community, we need them, and others need us as well.

Special Acknowledgement:

[sandrachile]

Chinese-American Wedding in Pittsburgh

Jessica + Mark

The month of June was probably one of the most emotionally loaded months of the year, our country was divided as the president enforced the most controversial anti-illegal immigration strategy ever, separating undocumented children from their adults at the border. Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, our calm and quiet Burgh entered the statistics of police brutality with the death of Antwon Rose, a teenager shot in the back during yet another “confusing” incident which resulted in multiple protests, and our calm city was divided with the ones against and the ones in favor... Personally, I am an active advocate of using the opportunities we have to make a stand that empowers others, and Jessica and Mark’s wedding was a vivid depiction of Sandrachile’s core beliefs:

"...walking into marriage with an attitude of gratitude, giving a little something back, taking care of the planet, and creating social impact. "  -- quote from my homepage

Jessica is originally from China and immigrated to California along with her parents when she was only 9 years old. Mark, meanwhile, is a quintessential American kid.

They met in college, and I remember during our first consultation Mark was spell-bound telling me how Jess was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

That same feeling set the tone for the wedding. Mark was taking care of every small detail, just so Jessica would be comfortable, Jessica would be happy, Jessica would be okay. Nothing mattered except her happiness.

The wedding of Mark and Jessica taught me many things, like how in the chinese culture it only rained for important fancy people, so if it rained on your wedding day it was a sign of good luck.

(Glad they believe that, because since this is Pittsburgh, of course it poured).

The ceremony was the perfect time to see this couple's love flow, and also the one thousand faces of Jessica, and her ability to go from tears to laugh on a split second 

After the ceremony came the speeches, and they were EPIC! I always enjoy when the best man is a brother of the groom, they always have the funniest insights.

I also heard the most beautiful and heart melting bridesmaid speech ever, that included the immigration story of Jessica’s family, and the struggles of living separated for 7 years, without visits, the internet, or communicating often. It was such an emotional moment. We all cried, especially me.

Perhaps, it is what encouraged Jessica and Mark to share their honeymoon funds with the ACLU, to help the current immigration crisis.  

I got to witness a tradition that I had not seen for a while, but since the wedding had many foreign guests, Jessica really wanted all the western traditions to be present during the day  

And did I mention how gorgeous was the cake?

I also learned how Jessica had their closest relatives come all the way from China, and despite that huge economical sacrifice, they insisted in preserving the red envelope tradition, which consists of the couple receiving a red envelope with a gift of money intended to help them pay for the cost of the wedding. The money inside the envelope has very strict number related rules, like no uneven numbers or no fours (among many others).  

and how squatting came natural and comfortable for chinese people, because they use that position a lot, so there was a lot of squatting done.

The reception was super fun too. Jessica and Mark were so joyful during their first dance!  

And the father daughter dance was so beautiful and emotional. Jessica said the song they danced was a song her dad used to sing to her when she was a child.  "The Moon Represents My Heart" by Teresa Chang 月亮代表我的心

Mark and his mom did a wonderful and choreographed job as well! I tried to record it, but I'm obviously a better photographer than videographer, lol.

Towards the end of the night, the third night of protests took place a block away from us, and we encountered the protestors on the way to our sunset portraits. We took this opportunity to give the protestors support, inviting them to take some pictures with us, while they taught us what signs to make that implied support and respect. We then hugged and went on our way. It was literally one minute only, but a minute we took to express that we do care, and in an aching world, caring is everything.  

And after all that rain, we got excited that the sun came out to give us a gorgeous sunset

OH.MY.HEART! It was such an empowering day!

Finally, and thanks to Jessica and Mark's generosity, plus the logistical support of Sausalido catering, and Chelsey from the Morning Glory Inn,all the leftover food was packaged and Nick and I drove around downtown looking for homeless people to feed. We ended up feeding 22 people that day!.  

Thank you Jessica and Mark for making me part of such an incredible day!

Venue: Morning Glory Inn Make Up by Shelby Dines Hair Stephanie Gardner from B Salon and Bar Jessica's dress Morilee purchased at Alison Bridal Mark's outfit: Suit by Theory   Bridesmaid's dresses by RenzRags Caterer: Sausalido DJ Jason Kendall Productions Flowers: DIY by the couple from Trader Joe's and Costco Favors: DIY with mini chinese take out containers with chinese candies provided by the mom :) Cake decor: butterflies by Uniqdots  Cake by Bella Christie and Lil Z's Sweet Boutique Wedding favor: DIY souvenirs from China, courtesy of the relatives :) Hair accessories by MADAMECICI

[sandrachile]

Engagement and FURBABIES! in Butler PA

Tammy + Nathan

Butler PA is about an hour away from my house, and it's where Nathan and Tammy grew up. These two animal lovers met at work. Even though they had grown up only a few miles from each other, and went to the same high school AND the same college. In the beginning, Nathan and Tammy were just friends and Tammy even tried fixing him up with several of her friends. One day everything clicked... After 11 years together, they are ready to get married. The whole family will be attending the wedding, so it was only fair that the whole family would attend the engagement session as well, and in this case (lucky me!) the whole family meant 3 pekingese FUR BABIES!  Unfortunately, not everybody was as excited as I was... lol

Regardless, this was an adorable engagement session, and Hilda, Trixie Anne, and Ewok simply made my day. 

Congratulations Nathan and Tammy!

Special thanks to Lizi Capuano for showing me around Preston Park

[sandrachile]

Kicking off wedding season a week earlier than last year's, celebrating Hadi + Nick's wedding. This year with something that I'm sure no other photographer would volunteer for: The bride is riding with me. So let's keep our hands together in prayer, that may I not crush, or get lost, or be quintessentially latina and arrive an hour late 😬😂. Happy Wedding Day @not_jamberry ... and see you soon @morninggloryinn 🙌🏼♥️☺️ [PS: the rain can go home] . . . . —————————————————— 📸 #sandrachile #pittsburgh #WeddingPhotographer #PittsburghPhotographer #funphotographer #elopementphotographer #weddingpittsburgh #destinationphotographer #radcouples#hipsterbride #bride #worldchanger #fotografachilena #filltheheart #gotengaged #isaidyes #Livecolorful #loveandwild #radcouples #wildsouls #rockmywedding (at Morning Glory Inn)

[sandrachile]

About Weddings and elopements…

with Carly + Alex

You don’t need a reception. You don’t need a church. You don’t need a white dress. You don’t need a Tuxedo. You don’t need a gazillion people around you. You don’t need personalized napkins or cups. You don’t need makeup. You don’t even need shoes. What you actually need is:

To stop your lives for a day, to commit to each other. You need a deep understanding of love. The commitment with yourself first, that you will love your significant other despite their failures and mistakes, you will love them at their worse, even more than they can love themselves.

To express each other’s expectations and promises.

To make an effort to wear something that makes you feel special That can mean, a puffy dress, flowers, a tux, high heels, makeup, or no makeup, a big hair, or a shaved head. Feeling special will help you understand that you are indeed special, and acknowledging your worth in a relationship will help you through the tough times.

…And although technically, you could go without a photographer, I need to tell you that you totally one. The pictures will help you remember what love feels like, the day you loved the most.

[sandrachile]

Engagement Session or Excuse to Get Professional Pictures of the Cat?

Rachel + Sam

I like people who stand up against injustice. People who are proactive to create a better world. People who are able to step outside their privilege to empathize with minorities like myself. People who care about the things that truly matter. And this is pretty much the definition of Rachel and Sam, and I’m OBSESSED with them. Rachel and Sam met in college, and after traveling around the globe helping farmers, and strengthening impoverished areas, they decided to get hitched, right here where they live. But pictures make introverts like them nervous, so I suggested to do a test run with an engagement session where they feel more at ease: their home. Personally, I can’t empathize enough, how truly important taking pictures before getting married prepares you for the big day. I want all couples to do it, it really is a huge giant massive help, for them and also for me as the photographer.

I think Rachel and Sam ended up looking super cute, however, at some point there were doubts: Was it this truly an engagement session? or was this just an excuse to get professional pictures of the cat??? … Judge for yourself…

[sandrachile]

Same Sex Home Session In My Hometown | Viña del Mar, Chile

Isaac + Coke

[bilingual tex at the end of the page | Texto bilingüe al final de la pagina]

Birdhome 882

I spent the beginning of the year visiting my people in Chile, and during my trip I got to witness my country and what it has become… Chile is a country with Catholic roots, which makes it quite conservative. Thanks to the media, the LGBTQ community has gained some visibility but Chile continues to be a homophobic country, where gay folks have to remain in the closet to keep jobs and make a living.... or simply to be safe. Perhaps this is why Coke and Aisak are creating their own entrepreneurial adventure, and inspired by the Netflix show Stay Here by @genevievegorder and @peterlorimer they decided to transform their house into a hip AirBnb called @birdhome982  I bet Airbnb never imagined that through their platform they are giving minorities, the opportunity to make an income in places like my beloved Chile, and I bet @netflixlat never thought that by making their service available, they are literally transforming lives.

Comencé el 2019 visitando a mi gente en Chile, y quiero compartirles algunas de las fotos que tomé, y lo que observé durante mi viaje. Chile es un país de raíces Católicas, lo cual lo hace conservador. Aun cuando la exposición mediática ha contribuido a la visibilidad de las minorías sexuales, Chile continúa siendo un país homofóbico, en el cual las personas LGBTQ continúan teniendo que permanecer en el closet para realizar tareas normales, como conservar su trabajo o permanecer seguros. Quizás esta fue la motivación de Coke y Aisak que decidieron lanzarse con su propio emprendimiento, e inspirados por el show de Netflix Stay Home, de @genevievegorderer y @peterlorimer  decidieron crear un alojamiento airbnb llamado @birdhome982  Creo que @netflix nunca imaginó que llevando sus servicios a lugares tan remotos como mi querido Chile, lo que en realidad estaban haciendo era transformar vidas.

[sandrachile]

Love at first... bratwurst | Brookline - Pittsburgh PA

 Victoria + Josh

Victoria was living a pretty stagnant life in a small college town outside of Pittsburgh. She promised herself that if something amazing didn't happen within a year, she was quitting her job(s) and moving to the city.

A year went by and not much happened, so she fulfilled her own promise and moved to the Burgh.

When she got to Pittsburgh, she was underwhelmed by her first experiences, so he joined meetup.com, Tinder and various other Facebook groups, in hopes of meeting new people with fresh perspectives.

About a month in, her and Josh matched on Tinder.

He messaged first and was very clearly in love with the city he grew up in.

He offered up suggestions for places to go, food to eat, transportation tips, and eventually, they decided to meet up at a local hot dog shop.

Two (very) strong beers and a bratwurst later, it was the best "first date" both of them ever had.

After that that initial date, a handful more came along and it quickly transitioned into   more.

They moved in together after four months and became dog parents after six.

This past April, things got a little twist

when they bought their first home together!!!. (hashtag adulting!)

Josh finally proposed to her in October, right at home.

Because home is such an important element in their lives, I suggested we did their session there.

Often times engagement sessions take place outside, but I am a firm believer that it is always better to stay home :)

[sandrachile]

Fun and Love at Keystone Lake | Pittsburgh PA

Amber + Stephen

When you think about engagement photography, what do you think of?

If you are in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania like I am, you probably think of a couple with matchy nice outfits (meaning, a girl wearing a dress, and a guy wearing a collared shirt of some sort). You might also think of pictures of them in front of one of the gazillion bridges that are a characteristic of this city.

This is not wrong. However, I am ignorant, actually, super ignorant, and when it comes to set expectations for cultural events, I have no preconceived idea of what a couple is actually expecting. People in Chile don’t get engaged the way they do here, and they don’t have engagement pictures taken. The Chilean concept of “dressing nicely” is also different. So when it comes to engagement pictures, my expectations are different because, there are in fact, no set expectations, and lately, I have realized that now that I am a wedding and portrait photographer of couples, this plays to my advantage.

Every once in a while, there is a couple who is open to this lack of expectations and they roll with me and my ideas. This time it was Stephen and Amber.

This easy to laugh, adventurous, festival loving couple were completely open to what I had in mind. Thank God! because I told them: “what if we do your session in the water?”, and instead of running frantically away from me, they were on board!

(A year before, I had actually suggested the same idea to another couple, but the fiance was too afraid his pants would get ruined, so that was the end of my suggestion.)

Stephen’s pure, uncontrollable, excitingly overwhelming, romantic thoughts and feelings towards Amber were evident. He is one thousand percent obsessed with her, and Amber is one thousand percent obsessed with Steve.

So, this pre-wedding session, although different, was, in the end, the most magical representation of their relationship: Adventure, a little bit of nature, laughs, and lots of love.

[sandrachile]

Engagement / Pre-wedding session at Phipps, Pittsburgh

Katie + Matt

I am so grateful of the people that believes in what I do and the way I do things. So as a way to celebrate my followers and my 12th anniversary in the United States, this past July I gifted a photo session to a random person on Instagram. @katielawlson was the lucky winner, and what a coincidence! She was getting married at a Pop Up wedding this year too!. So we took a little walk by Phipps and the Schenley Park area and took some pictures. Katie who follows me on Instagram, and pays attention to what I say, knew that I get motivated by vegan food, so she showed up with a box of vegan goodies for me. How thoughtful of her! Thank you Katie and Matt for your generosity, and thank you for the opportunity to photograph your love.

[sandrachile]

Dubrovnik, Croatia - Couple's Photo Session

I was able to visit the incredible coastal town of Dubrovnik in Croatia before attending The Fearless Photographers conference, a wedding photography conference that takes place every winter in a different part of Europe. I arrived to Dubrovnik at 2am, it was raining, and there were not many people around. I was not sure where I was, but the taxi left me far away and gave me instructions on how to get to my Hostel. WOW! What a treasure to my eyes it was to experience the immensity and the wonders of this place!. It was like a medieval city made out of brown shiny marble, full of small narrow passages, Dubrovnik is possibly one of the most impactful places I have visited.

Vildana + Davor

During my stay there, I had the luck to photograph a beautiful couple. Vildana and Davor, had a photo session that helped them reconnect with their romanticism after their first baby.  Vildana currently is a stay at home mom, who works from home for an American company based in Boston. Davor works in IT and is an ex-politician.  With them, I not only took pictures, but they shared with me a little of the story of the town, the best passages, and we also talked about the current economics of Croatia. It was so so cool, and I am so grateful I was able to do this!

[sandrachile]

Downtown Pittsburgh Proposal

Phillip + Keith

When I learned that in Pittsburgh, the city that I so proudly live in, there were vendors who still refused service to LGBTQ couples on the grounds of religion I got scared. What if one someday the alt-right becomes a religion and says "serving immigrants is against our beliefs"....? (I'm sure its coming) As an immigrant, I know what rejection feels, and as a woman, I know what it feels when someone makes you feel inferior.  I'm a Christian, and I know Jesus would never make anyone feel that way, so I chose the route of treating everybody with dignity and respect and I became an openly inclusive business.  As a part of that commitment, I did a gay/lesbian model call and it is how I connected to Phil and Keith.  After a little talking, I realized they were totally my tribe. Sweet, generous, hard-working, and committed to creating a better world through their career path.  So when Phill reached back to me a few months after, for the proposal, we decided to use the same excuse I used before: a photo shoot to portray inclusion.  I wanted to showcase iconic downtown Pittsburgh places, a protest from the heart of the city against an industry where so many are still discriminating.  We walked around downtown photographing them being in love, and we ended in a rooftop of one of the garages.  

Phil decided to bring the services of Vintage Alley, a company dedicated to styling through upcycling, and giving character to celebrations with vintage furniture and decor. The rustic lounge setup was the perfect complement to this surprise proposal that caught Keith totally by surprise. Once at the lounge, I told them I would take some pictures in the setup before asking them to stand up. Then I asked if they could make the hipster pose. To stand looking at me, then looking at each other, and finally, I told to pose, back to back, looking to opposite directions. Little did Keith know that at the other side,Phil was not looking to the other direction, but discreetly reaching out for a ring and getting ready for the speech of his lifetime....

Finally, their closest family and friends joined to hug them and congratulate them, putting an end to a day that I will never ever forget. 

Congratulations Phillip and Keith! 

[sandrachile]

Winter Photography Session with SNOW!

I'm going crazy.... er. The cabin fever is real, so last weekend when it snowed, I thought, what if I disregard the fact that is SUUUUPER cold and I go take pictures in the snow? Up to this moment, my only subject for snow pictures had been my dogs, so I turned to my Instagram to see if any couple would volunteer to be models for me that day. Sure enough, one did! This is Briana and Danny. Bri is also a photographer who follows Sandrachile on Instagram (thank you!). She said they are rarely in front of the camera, and that alone convinced me to welcome them immediately, with an open heart. I'll be honest, this was the shortest session ever. I was wearing 3 layers of pants and I could barely move, but in those 20 minutes these two ROCKED THE HELL out of their love <3 Thanks guys for being so brave and daring!

PS: If you don't follow my Instagram yet, do it now! I'll be sharing more opportunities and model calls there!